I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house - Yogi Berra

Baseball is the second most commonly played youth sport in the United States, boasting a yearly average of 8.6 million participants between the ages of 6 and 17. Of that, 1.7 million are Little Leaguers. With participation levels that high, it's safe to say a lot of houses are empty during the summer months, especially if today's ball players are taught to avoid injuries like Little League Elbow.

Little League Elbow is pain in the elbow joint caused by repetitive throwing and occurs mainly in young pitchers before they reach puberty. Throwing too many pitches, or throwing the wrong types of pitches (curveballs, for example), puts stress on a young pitcher's elbow ligaments. Because Little Leaguers' bones have not fully matured, the growth plates of the bones are weak and susceptible to injury, especially when the attached ligaments are stressed from over throwing.

If your all-star begins feeling symptoms of Little League Elbow, such as pain on the inner side of the elbow, or swelling and discomfort when throwing a baseball, then step up to the plate and come to HealthWorks Rehab & Fitness. Our therapists will strikeout Little League Elbow by relieving the pain, rehabbing the injury, and providing instruction on how to prevent any future problems.

Treatment for Little League Elbow begins with a combination of rest and ice therapy to reduce pain and swelling and to begin the healing process. After the pain has subsided, our rehab specialists will implement strengthening exercises for your future Big Leaguer in order to build-up supportive muscles in the arm, wrist, and hand that relieve stress on the elbow. In addition, the physical therapists at HealthWorks Rehab & Fitness will provide range of motion exercises for the elbow joint so it continues to develop properly as your little leaguer grows, too. Our sports injury specialists will also help young ball players to avoid any future elbow problems by outlining injury preventions strategies that include proper warm-up techniques and effective muscle stretching before throwing a baseball.

This summer, keep your house empty and your hurler "toein' the rubber" with a visit to HealthWorks Rehab & Fitness, where our facilities and our therapists are Major League.

Remember, when your body hurts, go to HealthWorks.